Friday, March 23, 2007
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Illinois recognized as national leader for commitment to early childhood education          Send a link to a friend

National report ranks state second in the nation for preschool accessibility for 3-year-olds

Illinois State Board of Education accepting applications from preschool providers for 2007-2008 school year

[March 23, 2007]  SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced March 14 that Illinois is being recognized as a national leader for its commitment to making quality preschool available to all 3- and 4-year-olds, according to a report published by the National Institute for Early Education Research of Rutgers University. Unlike other states, Illinois has increased its funding for early childhood education through Blagojevich's Preschool for All, which the report says will continue to increase access in the future.

"Preschool for All is a top priority of ours because we know how much quality teaching and learning at an early age helps kids succeed in the future," Blagojevich said. "We're doing the right thing for the future of our children and the future of Illinois by making quality preschool available to all of our children."

Illinois' high-quality, state-funded pre-kindergarten program earned a second place nationally for the percentage of 3-year-olds enrolled and 13th place for percentage of 4-year-olds, according to The State of Preschool 2006: State Preschool Yearbook. Illinois's pre-kindergarten initiatives also meet nine of 10 quality benchmarks cited by the report. The State Preschool Yearbook ranks all 50 states on access to, resources for and quality of state preschool initiatives for the 2005-2006 school year.

"Unlike the national picture, Illinois' funding per child increased," said W. Steven Barnett, director of the National Institute for Early Education Research. "Low- and moderate-income working parents need to know from year to year whether they can count on their state to provide quality preschool for their children."

"We know that we improve lifelong learning when we can get kids into preschool; they're more likely to complete high school and less likely to be placed in special education," said Jesse H. Ruiz, chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education. "Governor Blagojevich's Preschool for All gets more of our students started off on the right foot -- something that will pay dividends for the rest of their lives."

Building upon the success, the Illinois State Board of Education is moving forward with Blagojevich's Preschool for All expansion by accepting proposals from potential providers for the 2007-2008 school year. Public and private entities with experience in providing educational, health, social and child development services to young children are encouraged to submit proposals.

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Under the state budget recently introduced by Blagojevich, an additional $60 million would be available for Preschool for All, on top of the $45 million included in the current budget. The additional funding during fiscal 2008 will allow for another 12,000 children to have access to high-quality preschool. The goal is to continue to increase funding until all children whose families want them in preschool have access to it by fiscal 2011.

"We know that students who go to preschool make better progress in math, language and social skills as they continue their education," said Christopher Koch, interim state superintendent of schools. "Preschool for All is opening up the doors for those students whose families want to give their children this opportunity but may not be able to afford it."

Preschool for All will allow every community to offer high-quality preschool in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, child-care centers, licensed family child-care homes, private preschools, park districts, faith-based organizations and other community-based agencies. It requires that preschools be staffed by experienced teachers who hold bachelor's degrees and specialized training in early education. The preschools must provide at least two and a half hours per day of high-quality programming designed to foster all of the skills -- social, emotional, physical and cognitive -- that all young children need to have.

The Illinois State Board of Education has posted a request for proposals. The information is available in both English and Spanish. Proposals must be delivered to the Illinois State Board of Education no later than May 3.

Blagojevich has made early childhood education a top priority for his administration, fulfilling his promise to increase investments in the Early Childhood Block Grant program by $135 million over the past four years. His commitment to expanding early childhood education has gained national attention, including being cited by Pre-K Now as a "Pre-K budget hero" for continuing his push for preschool expansion despite difficult budget conditions.

The full State Preschool Yearbook is available at www.nieer.org.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Office of Communication and Information]

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